Established in 2011, the SmartGrid Canada conference has grown to become the key event for the smart grid industry in Canada. As an industry association dedicated to advancing smart grid for the benefit of Canadians, SGC has taken great pride in producing a high quality conference that is focused on great speakers and a relevant program. In consultation with their utility, industry and academic members to understand what the pressing issue of the year is, SGC brings you insight from leaders in Canada, the United States and abroad.

The host utility this year is Hydro Quebec. With more than 99% of their electricity being produced from water, they have an undeniable business advantage on the North American energy market. Hydro Quebec has vast expertise in power generation, transmission and distribution with great innovation capability, which is already making them a leading player in the field of ground transportation electrification.

Now that smart grid is entering a state of maturity, the conference is looking to provide its audience with real-world learning from smart grid implementations both in Canada and around the world. SmartGrid Canada is hosting multiple inbound trade delegations from Europe, Asia and the Americas giving delegates an opportunity to understand new perspectives.

The conference will also be the platform for publishing the 5^th annual Smart Grid Consumer Research. This research has become the benchmark in the industry for understanding the customer and how to better engage them in the modernization of the electricity system.

Grid resiliency, integrating energy storage, evolving the grid and consumer engagement are the major themes of this year’s conference.

The conference also hosts a set of technical seminars that will provide those interested in the nuts and bolts of the smart grid to ask questions of industry experts and discuss the engineering challenges we are all looking to solve.

Other side events include a Smart Grid Cyber Security Workshop hosted by the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces. This workshop is targeted for utility security professionals, cyber security industry, security academics and government regulators. The British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) in Vancouver has been working with Canada’s Department of National Defence on Smart Grid Cyber Security projects and will be organizing this workshop to discuss the current security issues facing the industry and develop a community of practice.

A meeting of the Canada Smart Grid Action Network is also to be held at the conference. Organized by Natural Resources Canada’s CanmetENERGY research labs, the Canada Smart Grid Action Network is a meeting of federal and provincial policy makers and regulators to discuss the advancement of smart grid in Canada. It includes representation of many industry association and key industry and academia players in the industry.

A meeting of the Canadian Electricity Association Distribution Council will be held as well. The CEA Distribution Council is made up of senior level representatives from CEA member companies and provides strategic directions on key issues related to electricity distribution.  The distribution system is a vital infrastructure, critical to the security and economy of Canada. Across the country, systems are aging and significant capital investment will be required to ensure the continued delivery of affordable, reliable, adequate power to consumers. System automation and innovative applications that fall under the broad definition of the smart grid will help to maximize the long-term value of this investment. The focus of the CEA Distribution Council is on strategic issues, policies, and advocacy related to the distribution of electricity.

There would be International Business-to-Business Matchmaking Sessions co-hosted by SGC and Global Affairs Canada. In prior years, the SmartGrid Canada conference has attracted trade delegations from abroad including Brazil, China, India, Europe, Chile and the United States. It enables foreign utility delegates to meet with and exchange ideas with their Canadian counterparts.

This year, trade delegations from multiple European countries, India, and Chile will be present. They will be in attendance to the conference and will provide a great opportunity for networking. In addition to this, there will be scheduled one-on-one business-to-business matchmaking sessions organized.

For more information, kindly visit our website www.sgcanadaconf.ca or email us  info@sgcanada.org